The Limited Access Order (LAO) conceptual framework is an excellent way to understand why developing countries work the way they do, analyze their political and economic dynamics, and formulate policy ideas appropriate to their context. Its focus on power, violence, rents, and elite bargains provides far greater explanatory and predictive power than...

Problems that have been intractable for decades are very likely the product of many different issues that intertwine with each other in a way that makes attempts to fix things highly problematic. Simple solutions -- changing a person, introducing a reform, holding an election, penalizing one party -- rarely work.
Conflict, weak governance, state...

Pakistan is arguably the world’s most important fragile state, but many of its problems are not well understood. Security problems dominate headlines, but the country’s real troubles more often than not float beneath the surface unknown even to those trying to help the country.
A good example of this is the issue of social exclusion. Although...

Why do some states promote development better than others? Why do elites sometimes support reforms that energize development and other times fail to do so?
We know a lot about what kinds of policies support development, but much less about why governments differ in the zeal with which they pursue these policies and in the effectiveness with which...

Greece is not a fragile state, but its governance problems share many of the same characteristics. The state's struggles to enact reforms are an important case study in how politics, corruption, and elite self-interest can triumph over good ideas:
In exchange for the bailout money that Greece needs by March to avoid what could be a catastrophic...

With almost half of the world’s poor, and a combination of weak government and divided societies, fragile states contribute disproportionately to the world’s instability and violence.

This forum seeks to understand them and address their core challenges. It is edited by Seth Kaplan and welcomes guest writers.